When the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra turns to opera, it does so in a big, glowing fashion.

The orchestra and music director Edo de Waart presented a riveting, semi-staged performance of Bartok's opera "Bluebeard's Castle" on Friday evening, complete with six breathtaking glass sculptures designed for the opera by artist Dale Chihuly. | March 16, 2013»Read Full Article

I spent the weekend planting tomatoes, mowing the lawn and not watching "Arrested Development."

Sorry. Unlike the cool kids, I was not a fan of the quirky Fox show that was canceled after three seasons and whose cult following resulted in new episodes being produced and released Sunday on Netflix. | May 26, 2013»Read Full Article(4)

Culture is more than an enveloping painting on a museum wall or the confounding installation at an upstart gallery. It exists in the way we look at, talk about and express ourselves about art.

The idea that the writing of art criticism qualifies as the making of culture certainly fits the professional practice of Lori Waxman, a regular freelance critic for the Chicago Tribune and a frequent writer for publications such as Artforum. | May 26, 2013»Read Full Article

Splash of summer

Summer officially arrives when the daredevil water skiers of Badgerland Water Ski Show Team perform their first strap double in the Fox River. And that day is Monday, Memorial Day, at 7 p.m. The team ranked fifth in the state last year and has been performing in many sites in Waukesha's lake country since 1983. This year it will perform Wednesday nights on the Fox River, adjacent to Frame Park in Waukesha, and monthly on Thursdays on Fowler Lake in Oconomowoc. The shows start at 7 p.m., moving to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14 through Labor Day. They are free, but donations are welcome. | May 26, 2013»Read Full Article